Goal

Diego Simeone has congratulated Luka Modric for winning the Ballon d'Or but feels Antoine Griezmann or Raphael Varane should have claimed the prize. Modric was named the recipient of France Football's coveted trophy on Monday, ending a decade of dominance of the award by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Atletico Madrid star Griezmann came third in the standings, after which he admitted he felt he could do little more to win it, while France team-mate Varane was seventh. Editors' Picks From dreaming of Madrid to injury issues: Inside Hazard's 10-game goal drought Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man...

Lyon's trip to Toulouse on Saturday has been postponed following advice from regional police. The Prefecture de Haute-Garonne called for the Ligue 1 match to be called off in the wake of protests in Toulouse. According to officials, 57 people, including 48 police officers, were wounded on December 1 after clashes with what they described as "violent demonstrators". Editors' Picks From dreaming of Madrid to injury issues: Inside Hazard's 10-game goal drought Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man City's 'Messi-like' dribbler set for Bernabeu transfer Modric, Ronaldo, Messi & the 2018 Ballon d'Or final rankings Has Modric ended...

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has described Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in the Ballon d'Or vote as "absurd". Messi is a five-time winner of the prize and shared the previous 10 with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo but saw Real Madrid's Luka Modric top the 2018 poll on Monday. It is the first time Messi has finished outside the top three since 2006, with Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe all finishing ahead of him. Editors' Picks From dreaming of Madrid to injury issues: Inside Hazard's 10-game goal drought Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man City's 'Messi-like' dribbler set...

On October 7, Belgium winger Eden Hazard netted the opener in Chelsea's 3-0 win at Southampton to make it 10 goals in 10 games for club and country. After excelling under Roberto Martinez at the World Cup in the summer, the 27-year-old was now clearly loving life at Stamford Bridge, with new manager Maurizio Sarri having discarded the defensive shackles placed upon him by predecessor Antonio Conte. "I am really in the game," Hazard enthused. "I am playing good football at the moment." This was music to the ears of all Chelsea fans. Editors' Picks Who is Real Madrid target...

Alexis Sanchez isn’t suited to Manchester United’s style of play, according to former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn. Chile international Sanchez joined United from the Gunners in a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but has scored just four goals in 11 months for his new side and has failed to recapture the form he produced during his three and a half years at the Emirates. It has been widely reported that the former Barcelona and Udinese star is desperate to bring an end to his Old Trafford nightmare, having been ostracised amongst his team-mates and no longer assured of a place...

The U.S. national team now has a head coach after Gregg Berhalter officially assumed the role. Now, the first match of the Berhalter era is officially on the schedule. At Tuesday's press conference introducing Berhalter as manager, U.S. Soccer announced that the USMNT is set to face Panama on January 27 in Glendale, Arizona in what will be the former Columbus Crew manager's first match in charge. The match will precede a game against Costa Rica, which is scheduled for February 2 at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California as the second friendly of the annual January camp. Editors' Picks...

Juventus midfielder Emre Can is set to make his return from a thyroid issue against Inter on Friday. The Germany international has been sidelined for two months, making his last appearance for the club in a win over Udinese on October 6. Can had surgery on a thyroid nodule in late October, but is ready to return for the Bianconeri after he took part in a friendly against Chisola on Tuesday. Editors' Picks Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man City's 'Messi-like' dribbler set for Bernabeu transfer Modric, Ronaldo, Messi & the 2018 Ballon d'Or final rankings Has Modric...

Rachid Alioui is a player who has had a difficult start to the 2018-19 season but was Ligue 1’s outstanding player of matchday 15, as judged by the Opta Performance Index, which rates every player in the league with a score out of 100. The Nimes striker suffered a serious injury on the final day of the previous campaign when Nimes should have been celebrating promotion to the top flight and as such was laid up until the very end of September. Since then, the 26-year-old has flitted off the bench on numerous occasions, though never to such great effect...

Bragging rights will be at stake when Brighton welcome Crystal Palace to the Amex Stadium for Tuesday’s Premier League clash. Although hardly neighbours, the pair have developed a rivalry over the course of their numerous promotion battles in the last few decades. Latest OddsHaving lost just one of their last nine home matches in the league, Chris Hughton’s men are priced at 9/5 (2.80) to send the fans home happy with a precious win here. Editors' Picks Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man City's 'Messi-like' dribbler set for Bernabeu transfer Modric, Ronaldo, Messi & the 2018 Ballon d'Or...

The Concacaf Champions League draw was a success. It started on time, ended early and didn't involve any mysognistic comments or songs and dances like ceremonies that dominated the headlines earlier Monday. With Concacaf legends Blas Perez and Moises Munoz picking teams out of pots and creating matchups, the competition started to take shape and it's looking like it could be another fantastic tournament. Last year's switch to a tournament with no group stage and fewer teams from outside the confederation's best leagues resulted in a roaring success. It was the best CCL on the field and the most widely...

Pep Guardiola faces a selection conundrum for Manchester City's meeting with Watford, with the Spaniard juggling a hectic December fixture schedule with various injuries and knocks. Kevin De Bruyne is still recovering from a knee injury, while Sergio Aguero could miss out again, with Guardiola likely to have one eye on the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the weekend. The visit to Watford will be an opportunity for the league leaders to move further ahead of second-placed Liverpool, who sit just two points behind them in the league but do not play until Wednesday. Editors' Picks Who is...

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has been ruled out for six months after undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday, the club confirmed. The 25-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid last month and went under the knife in an effort to quicken his recovery. Rafinha has been unfortunate with injuries in recent years and in September 2015 suffered the same injury on his right knee. Two seasons ago he was also sidelined with a meniscus problem. Editors' Picks Who is Real Madrid target Brahim Diaz? Man City's 'Messi-like' dribbler set for Bernabeu transfer...